Dein erstes Forum » Its really tough.

SAN DIEGO - As players and teams waited for Jon Lester to make a decision and start defining the high-end pitching market, baseballs winter meetings opened Monday with Oakland jettisoning yet another All-Star and the Chicago White Sox adding a closer.In the first swap of the four-day session, the Athletics sent first baseman-outfielder Brandon Moss to Cleveland for minor league infielder Joey Wendle. That followed Oaklands trade last month of third baseman Josh Donaldson to Toronto.The White Sox agreed to a $46 million, four-year contract with David Robertson, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the deal had not yet been announced.Chicago also acquired right-handers Jeff Samardzija and Michael Ynoa from Oakland on Tuesday for right-hander Chris Bassitt, catcher Josh Phegley, first baseman Rangel Ravelo and infielder Marcus Semien. Samardzija had pitched for the crosstown Cubs before he was traded to the Athletics in July.Big-name moves among free-agent starting pitchers are taking more time to percolate. Traded from Boston to Oakland last summer, Lester was sought by the Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs.Athletics general manager Billy Beane is watching the bidding without getting personally involved from his position with the low-payroll As.That ones more just for my industry curiosity as much as anything, he said. Like Arthur Miller being married briefly to Marilyn Monroe — thats who we are. Were the Arthur Miller in Lesters career.Max Scherzer and James Shields appeared content to wait for Lester to reach a deal first. And trade talks for top pitchers seemed secondary.Almost any move thats made has some kind of domino effect, some more pronounced than others, said Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers new president of baseball operations. But obviously when youre talking about the bigger guys coming off the board, theres a more pronounced trickle-down effect.Lester helped Boston go from worst to first and win the 2013 World Series, and then was part of a purge as the Red Sox again dropped to last in the AL East.Were still optimistic that hell be in a Red Sox uniform. Theres a lot of history between the Red Sox and Jon, Boston manager John Farrell said. We obviously have a strong desire to bring him back. And yet, hopefully, this is coming to a little bit of a head here.The perennially woeful Cubs got a player back at the less pricey level, agreeing to a $20 million, two-year contract with right-hander Jason Hammel — a pitcher Chicago traded to the As last summer. That deal was confirmed by a person familiar with those talks, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to the AP because the deal had not been announced.Arizona completed its $68.5 million, six-year contract with Yasmany Tomas, a 24-year-old Cuban defector the Diamondbacks may move from the outfield to third base.Initially, youve got to believe that thats a lot of money to be passing out on any player, new Diamondbacks general manager Dave Stewart said. And in this day and time when a player has not played here, hes not proven yet here, that makes it even a little bit uncomfortably. But once you get the right information and youve checked the right sources, it makes it a lot easier to make the move.Cleveland obtained the 31-year-old Moss, who hit .234 with 25 homers and 81 RBIs in 2014. He batted .268 with 21 homers in the first half of the season to earn his first All-Star selection, but a nagging hip problem cut into his production over the final months.On Oct. 21, Moss had a hip operation. Moss said Dr. Thomas Byrd was prepared to perform microfracture surgery, but all he needed was a labrum repair and cartilage cleanup.Its a really difficult market to acquire offence, whether thats in free agency or the free-agent market, but we thought the deal for Brandon made sense because we felt we were getting one of the better power hitters in the game, Indians general manager Chris Antonetti said.As the meetings began, the doors to baseballs Hall of Fame remained shut to this years Golden Era committee candidates.Nine players and one executive whose primary contributions were from 1947-72 all failed to receive the 75 per cent of the vote needed for election.Dick Allen and Tony Oliva came closest, each receiving 11 of 16 votes, one shy of the 75 per cent needed for election. Jim Kaat appeared on 10 ballots, Maury Wills nine and Minnie Minoso eight.Ken Boyer, Gil Hodges, Billy Pierce and Luis Tiant each received three or fewer votes, as did the late Cincinnati Reds general manager Bob Howsam.The results today are a reminder that election to the Hall of Fame is incredibly difficult and the highest honour an individual can receive in baseball, Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark said.___AP Sports Writers Howie Rumberg and Bernie Wilson contributed to this report. Nike Air Max 270 Femme Pas Chere . That time around, the cage is as much a part of baseballs daily routine as a beer and a hotdog is to a fan in the stands. Coaches, scouts, broadcasters and other media hover, tossing verbal barbs, telling stories and sharing laughs. Occasionally, especially in spring when the atmosphere is relatively laid back, the list of invited guests expands and on this day, Gibbons welcomed two men strongly influential in his life. Air Max 97 Noir Femme Pas Cher . But this time, the Gunners weathered the storm. Arsene Wengers team was on the ropes in the early stages of a lively FA Cup tie, until Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored a goal against the run of the play. http://www.outletairmaxpascher.fr/fausse-vapormax-plus.html. The visitors missed a host of good chances to win the game, and were left to rue substitute Ivo Ilicevics strike against the crossbar in the 86th minute, when he only had the goalkeeper to beat. Air Max 90 Homme Pas Cher Fausse .Kessy tried to show what he can do playing left wing for the Oilers in 5-0 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday in pre-season action. Air Max Pas Cher Outlet .Mallais and his team out of Saint John defeated James Grattan 5-4 in Fredericton.The 2015 Tim Hortons Brier from Feb.WASHINGTON -- The NFL is prepared to meet with an Indian tribe pushing for the Washington Redskins to drop the teams nickname. Just not this week. As league owners gathered Monday in the nations capital for their fall meetings, the Oneida Indian Nation held a symposium across town to promote their "Change the Mascot" campaign. Oneida representative Ray Halbritter said the NFL was invited to attend. Instead, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said, a meeting has been scheduled for next month -- and could happen sooner. "We respect that people have differing views," McCarthy said. "It is important that we listen to all perspectives." He said the Redskins name is not on the agenda for the owners meetings. Redskins owner Dan Snyder has vowed to keep the name, and an AP-GfK poll conducted in April found that nearly 4 in 5 Americans dont think the team should change its name. Its a topic generating discussion lately, though. President Barack Obama said in an interview with The Associated Press last week that he would "think about changing" the teams name if he were the owner. Halbritter called that statement "nothing less than historic" and said the teams nickname is "a divisive epithet ... and an outdated sign of division and hate." Addressing the NFL, Halbritter said: "It is hypocritical to say youre Americas pastime but not represent the ideals of America." U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., said the league and team are "promoting a racial slur" and "this issue is not going away." For years, a group of American Indians has tried to block the team from having federal trademark protection, and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District of Collumbias envoy to Congress, predicted Monday that effort eventually will succeed.dddddddddddd "This name is going to go into the dustbin of history," she said. Lanny Davis, a lawyer who said hes been advising Snyder on the name issue for "at least several months," said in a telephone interview after the symposium: "The Washington Redskins support peoples feelings, but the overwhelming data is that Native Americans are not offended and only a small minority are." Davis also said the campaign is "showing selective attention" by focusing on the Redskins and not teams such as the NFLs Kansas City Chiefs, NHLs Chicago Blackhawks, or Major League Baseballs Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves. Earlier, Halbritter was asked about those other nicknames. "The name of Washingtons team is a dictionary-defined, offensive racial epithet. Those other names arent," Halbritter said. "But there is a broader discussion to be had about using mascots generally." Players for the Redskins have remained mostly silent on the topic, including star quarterback Robert Griffin III, who recently called the debate "something way above my understanding." Some players approached in the locker room Monday avoided addressing the subject altogether. "Its really tough. And I mean this sincerely: I get both sides of the argument," guard Chris Chester said. "I see how it can offend some people, but I feel like the context that this organization has, theres no negative connotation. You wouldnt name your team something you didnt have respect for. At least I wouldnt. I mean, I understand, too, that it offends some people, so I sympathize with both sides." ' ' '